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Meridian High School P.E. took a new approach on remembering the fallen from the 9/11 attack on America 18 years ago. This year both P.E. classes climbed 110 flights of stairs to see what the entering firefighters, police, EMT endured when climbing their flights of stairs .

According to timeline.911memorial.org, at 8:46 a.m. a plane hit the ninety-third floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which left hundreds of people trapped on the ninety-first floor and up. The response was to send out the first wave of hundreds of first responders.

“In regular P.E. today we did 110 flights of stairs to represent the 110 floors in the World Trade Center…I wanted the students to learn about…the sacrifices the first responders made, and that everyday they choose to make that sacrifice,” said Kirsten Durflinger, P.E. teacher. “After 20 flights in, they [the students] were ready to cash out.”

Marisa Hill, junior at Meridian High School, endured this experience. After five flights, Hill felt the burn.

According to timeline.911memorial.org at 8:50 a.m. the U.S. President was informed.

“It made me realize the importance of people like them [first responders]. I never really knew what it was like for them to do things like that,” said Hill.

These men and women went into these buildings not knowing if they were going to make it out to see their wives/husbands, kids, and families again.

According to timeline.911memorial.org at 8:55 a.m. they declared there was no need to evacuate the second tower.

“It really gives you a sense of perspective,” said Hill.

Going in to her 110 flights Hill thought “this is stupid. I don’t care about this.” However, after she thought a little differently.

“I realized there’s a lot of importance in memorializing these people,” said Hill.

According to timeline.911memorial.org at 9:03 a.m. the second tower was hit.

“Nobody here was alive when this occurred, so this is a way not only for them to remember what went on, but what continues to go on day in and day out with first responders and all that they do for us to keep us safe and to help us in times of need,” said Micah Sheppard, athletic P.E. teacher.

According to timeline.911memorial.org at 9:59 a.m. the first tower collapsed with the second tower collapsing at 1028 a.m.

“You see some of the kids that are actually touched by it as far as they may have somebody that was personally involved whether it was an uncle, or a grandpa, or a grandma, or anything… or we have a couple kids who are volunteer firemen that appreciate it,” said Sheppard. “We have students that just have a passion for patriotism and so they’re more than eager to do it and excited about it and other kids may not enjoy doing the workouts, but they also at the same time appreciate what people do for them and what has been done for them in the past.”

Meridian thanks all the fallen men and women from this horrific day, and sends our hearts out to the fallen, survivors, the family and friends, and all impacted.